In which Jay makes a sartorial switch; Hope Summers is less confusing than you might expect; we are very happy to present our first all-artist convention special; Ramon kills his idols; Rachelle deciphers the past; Bret (re)defines New Mutants; a long-time mystery is resolved; colorists deserve more respect; the Xavier School probably has an actual curriculum; and a lot of X-Men have really cool hair.

X-PLAINED:

The adventures of Hope Summers

Several Phoenix hosts

The time Quentin Quire became a Shi'ar god

Jay's mom

Our panelists' definitive X-Men

E for Extinction

Killing your idols

Coloring as archaeology

Visually defining the X-Men

New Mutants that might have been

Favorite costumes

The actual color of Storm's '90s costume

Editorial direction vs. editorial mandate

Practical considerations in costume design

Actual education at the Xavier School

Wolverine's assorted children

The best hair in the X-Men

NEXT EPISODE: Cannonball dies (briefly)!

No visual companion to this one, but check out the first part of our ECCC gallery over on our blog!

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